Dungeons: The Eye of Draconus Wrongly Kicked from Free the Games

Did Dungeons: The Eye of Draconus get wrongfully kicked from the Free the Games initiative? I think so.

Ouya removed Dungeons: The Eye of Draconus, a Golden Axe-inspired game, from the Free the Games initiative. You might be asking yourself why. It turns out that Suckerfree Games’ founder, William McDonald, father put up some of his retirement money to fund the game. Apparently some people didn’t like that and complained. This caused Ouya to suddenly remove the game’s Free the Games link and remove them from their website. According to McDonald, they weren’t even notified.

The game’s Kickstarter was cancelled, but McDonald promises that episode one of Dungeons: The Eye of Draconus will still be finished by PAX 2014. McDonald’s comments on this fiasco can be read here. What makes matters worse is that another game, Gridiron Thunder, seems to be under scrutiny for something similar and is keeping their funds. They claimed to be backed by wealthy backers in Silicon Valley and the sports industry. Ouya reportedly investigated and found no claims of foul play, but you have to wonder if it’s true or not. Many people are upset because it appears that whole thing is more of a scam than anything else and Ouya is just trying to save face by getting rid of Dungeons: The Eye of Draconus.

Let’s be honest here. Projects are going to be funded by friends or family. I’m sure that many games in Kickstarter have been backed by wealthy family members or friends. Though it has not been proven, Gridiron Thunder was probably backed by wealthy friends of the creator, yet Dungeons: The Eye of Draconus was the one shafted. At least McDonald was up front and honest about his father backing the project with retirement funds. It’s a shame that a game has to be cut just because a father wants to see his son succeed.

There are a ton of politics at work here, but you know how I feel. What do you think of this? Was the game rightfully cut from the initiative, or do you think they should have been given a break? Discuss in the comments.